1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to system automation and, more particularly, to a method for operating an automation system having a plurality of automation units and a plurality of automation programs running on the automation units, wherein the automation system and the automation programs are intended to control and/or monitor a technical process.
2. Description of the Related Art
The term “automation unit” comprises all units, devices or systems, i.e., in addition to controllers, such as programmable logic controllers, process computers, (industrial) computers, operating and observation units (HMI units), programming units, also drive controllers or frequency converters, as are used or can be used to control, regulate and/or monitor technological processes, for example, for forming or transporting material, energy or information, in which case energy is used or converted, in particular, using suitable technical devices, such as sensors or actuators.
However, the disadvantage of conventional automation systems and means for maintaining and programming these automation systems is often that, for example, conventional operating and observation systems (HMI systems) usually have access only to a restricted range of the control and process variables handled or processed by the automation units, i.e., only the operating data relevant to the respective plant operator (i.e., operating personnel associated with the operator of the respective technical process). However, in the event of failure, lack or overloading of such automation systems, further diagnostic aids are helpful, particularly if they can be used to completely or at least virtually completely access technology-oriented plant description data.
In this case and below, those data which enable a hierarchical description of the plant and its equipment, i.e., a description of the technical process and possibly also of the automation units intended for control and/or monitoring, are interpreted as technology-oriented plant description data. The plant, i.e., the technical process, includes devices such as metering devices or transport devices, and the actuators and sensors provided in the plant, i.e., in the technical process, particularly measuring points and the process data provided by the measuring points, and additionally also sequence controllers and signal flows and process flows.
Such technology-oriented plant description data are independent of the automation units intended to control the respective technical process and are therefore nowadays also available only in engineering stations or more rarely in special maintenance and diagnostic systems.